New deal for disabled people national extension: findings from the first wave of qualitative research with clients, job brokers and jobcentre plus staff

摘要

The New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) was introduced in 1998 and 1999 as a series of pilotsuddesigned to evaluate services based on the use of personal advisers to help disabled people move intoudor stay in paid employment. The pilots were wound up in 2001 and superseded by what is known asudthe ‘national extension’ of NDDP, the aim of which is to ‘support and test innovative ways of helpingudpeople on Incapacity Benefits move from economic inactivity into sustained employment’ (DSS, ES,udDfEE research specification, April, 2001). Services under the national extension are provided by audnetwork of around 60 ‘Job Broker’ organisations including voluntary and other not-for-profit bodies,udcommercial companies, government agencies and other public sector organisations. This reportudpresents findings from a first wave of qualitative research carried out in 2002 which forms part of audlarger programme of work aimed at providing the Department for Work and Pensions with audcomprehensive evaluation of the NDDP extension.udThe overall aim of the qualitative research is to explore the organisation, operation and impacts of theudJob Broker service from the perspective of all key stakeholders, including users and providers of JobudBroker services, and staff of Jobcentre Plus offices. Specifically, the research was designed toudproduce data on the following:ud• factors affecting participation in the Job Broker programmeud• clients’ understanding and experiences of NDDPud• the role and operation of Job Brokersud• the role and operation of the Jobcentre Plus staff who can provide people with information aboutudJob Broker services.udA research design was adopted that aimed to gather data using a range of qualitative researchudtechniques from key actors associated with 18 Job Broker services operating in 15 specificudgeographical areas. The first wave of data collection was carried out in the Summer/Autumn of 2002;uda second wave is planned for 2003.udThe report is organised into three main parts. Part I (Chapters 2 to 5) presents findings from the JobudBroker and Jobcentre Plus staff research. In Part II (Chapters 6 to 9), the client perspective isudpresented. Part III (Chapter 10) provides an overall summary of the emerging issues.